The Truth About Link Building in 2015

The biggest problem with search engine optimization is that it is constantly changing-this leads to a lot of confusing amongst those in the industry. One of the most highly debated topics right now is whether or not link building is dead. I think that link building in 2015 is essential; it is, now more than ever, crucial to improving your search engine rankings.

I ran across an article today on Business 2 Community that covered three common SEO lies. I was glad to see that one of the three items on the list was in regards to link building.

Google hates link building

This downright lie has become so common recently, that even some fairly trusted sources have started believing it. The idea is that, during recent algorithm changes, Google expressly took action against all attempts to link build and, so, trying to implement these tactics in your SEO is now essentially a grey hat activity. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Natural links are still a 100% legitimate way to add authority to your website. Earn your links instead of buying them or using spammy link building tactics.

Yea, Google hates link building as much as I hate getting paid to do what I love…

Google and Link Building

Google doesn’t hate link building. If your online marketing company tells you that “link building is dead,” it is time for you to find a new digital marketing firm. Google loves backlinking; it sees it as the ultimate sign of authority and quality content. Matt Combs, the head of Google’s Webspam team, believes that good backlinking is a “really, really big win in terms of quality for search results.” But you don’t have to take my word for it…here it is, straight from the horse’s mouth.

Link Building in 2015

With the numerous Google algorithm updates over the last few years, Google’s crawlers are becoming more and more AI-like in their ability to determine legitimate links and junk links. When link building became popular, SEO “experts” found that you could create dozens and dozens (if not hundreds) of low-quality links that were very effective for increasing search engine rankings for specific keywords. However, link building in 2015 is a completely different story.

STOP: putting rich anchor text links in any guest posts you do. Don’t argue with me. DO IT NOW.

STOP: treating link building as a standalone practice. Get focused on marketing your business. As AJ Kohn says, “Links are the Result, Not the Goal”.

STOP: focusing on the number of links. Quality is what matters most, by far. In fact, that volume approach is likely to directly hurt you!

STOP: seeking links that no user is likely to ever click on.

START: focusing on content marketing.

START: reviewing any past link building campaigns and get out in front of this. Clean it up before you get hit.

Now, if this seems too technical, know that you don’t have to spend a fortune to properly backlink your website. Often, a freelance writer with SEO experience is enough to ensure that your company or organization is implementing proper link building practices for your inbound marketing needs.